The present invention relates to a toy gun which is capable of projecting a plurality of high tension elastic rings in rapid succession after a single loading.
Heretofore many toy guns have been developed which fire rubber bands. Such toy guns generally employ a sprocket wheel holder, rotatably disposed on an axis transverse to the frame of the gun, which engages one or more standard rubber bands and a trigger mechanism which serially releases the bands by permitting limited rotation of the sprocket. Examples may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,053 to Carpenter, U.S. Pat. No. 1,892,209 to Fisher, U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,490 to Fisher, U.S. Pat. No. 2,550,873 to Siders, U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,558 to Sealer et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,658 to Sundstrom, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,850 to Hunter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,494 to Mims and U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,266 to Kilby. Such mechanisms, which eject standard rubber bands, do not permit the use of high tension bands which exhibit superior aerodynamics. Moreover, the band holding mechanisms generally hold the bands in a less than fully elongated condition prior to firing, thereby resulting in a band being released with an energy less than its full potential. Therefore, while being conveniently hand loadable, they do not provide for accurate long range exciting power.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is the provision of a toy gun which may be loaded with high tension rubber rings as projectiles. Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that employs leverage to mount the elastic rings in a stretched condition ready for firing. A further object of the present invention is the provision of an elastic band holder strong enough to support a plurality of high tension elastic rings in uniform maximum elongation. Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a toy gun having a manually operated knob mechanism for spring loading the ring holding mechanism in a rotational movement bias. Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a trigger mechanism that sequentially both limits the rotational movement of the ring holder and fires the rings.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by the provision of a mechanism for ejecting a plurality of high tension elastic bands in rapid succession. The mechanism may be conveniently installed in a toy gun which includes a frame having a handle. A spring loaded cylindrical band retaining magazine which supports a plurality of high tension bands or rings in a fully stretched condition is rotatably supported along a longitudinal axis of the frame. A trigger element is mounted on the frame which permits controlled rotation of the cylindrical magazine to position an elastic projectile in the proper location for firing and causes ejection of the high tension elastic rings or bands with successive pulls of the trigger. A lever device is included in the handle of the gun for loading the high tension bands on the magazine in a condition of maximum elongation.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, when taken in conjunction with the drawings.